A24’s gory mythical creature feature “Death of a Unicorn” is never as entertaining as its premise. Debut writer and director Alex Scharfman tries to woo audiences with a deluge of “Jurassic Park” references, but cheeky nods to beloved franchises shouldn’t overshadow your original concept. Aside from primarily stationary glimpses, there’s too heavy a reliance on iffy visual effects that fall short of bringing Scharfman’s horned beasts to life. It’s a ridiculous horror-comedy that’s light on horror and inconsistently humorous, worth a few eat-the-rich laughs but not much else.
Paul Rudd stars as Elliot Kintner, a corporate stooge headed to his bosses’ wildlife reserve mansion for a weekend retreat. Along for the ride is his rebellious-looking daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega), and on that ride, Elliot hits a unicorn—then smashes its brains in. In a panic and already behind schedule, Elliot throws the presumably deceased unicorn in his trunk and pulls up to the lavish estate of sickly pharma magnate Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant). If all goes well, Elliot and Ridley will be financially set for life.
As you might assume, everything does not go well once Odell discovers the unicorn’s sparkly blood contains curative supernatural properties.
The hunter becomes the hunted in “Death of a Unicorn,” playing off the prominent “Jurassic Park: The Lost World” subplot of Mama and Papa T-rex searching for their missing junior. Odell’s family consists of your prototype one-percenter ghouls, from Will Poulter’s hot-tub-loving entrepreneur Shepard to Téa Leoni’s ignorant opportunist Belinda. Elliot’s morality is tested as he weighs economic freedom against soul-selling practices, but the forced family drama—including added grief given Elliot’s a widower single father—runs thin. “Barry” actor Anthony Carrigan steals scenes as Leopold’s mistreated and eye-rolling butler Griff and Jessica Hynes does her best “Robert Muldoon” impersonation for a giggle. Still, it’s all a slight bazillionaire satire that relies too heavily on payoff carnage.
That’d be fine if the pacing weren’t wobbly and said carnage was not as pixelated. “Death of a Unicorn” is an unfortunate example of heavy post-production reliance, from the less-than-dazzling hooved monsters to meh body-splitting kills (LIKE EDDIE CARR IN “JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD”). Perhaps the cartoonish design of Scharfman’s majestic horned horses is intentional, but even so, they’re unpolished computer illustrations that don’t blend into forest settings. Practical craftwork like the first unicorn’s glowing, ribbed horn or an extreme close-up of Daddycorn’s panting jawline stands out for its rarity, while the rest is garish and too glossy. You’ll get your vicious unicorn-themed kills—bloody stabbings, spilled guts, rearranged faces—but the deathblows come with reminders of why practical effects will always remain king.
Scharfman shows promising talent behind the camera, but “Death of a Unicorn” slips away during its 104-minute runtime. The concept is inviting, and fantastical elements like the unicorn’s glittery purple blood add that fairy tale whimsy. Pharmaceutical research leads to zany bits like Shep snorting horn dust or the dunderheaded mixologist son’s lavender cocktails wasting precious resources. It’s appropriately predatory and sickening in comically exaggerated ways, worth a chuckle as eyes glaze over into cosmic unicorn drug highs.
Scharfman leans into this weird parallel between vengeful unicorns and velociraptors, even including a six-inch retractable claw, like a razor—shown tapping against the floor in a zoomed highlight (sorry, “Jurassic Park” is everywhere). When the unicorns storm Odell’s proverbial castle and clop down buffed hallways, Scharfman hits a ferocious intensity that delivers what’s promised—but it’s fleeting excitement. A telegraphed jump scare here, a brutally slain lab technician there. Sadly, storytelling and momentum don’t have enough juice from start to finish.
“Death of a Unicorn” sounds like a slam dunk on paper, but in practice, Scharfman delivers late-night cable thrills at best. A cast including Rudd, Ortega, and Poulter shouldn’t struggle as hard as they are to coax out belly laughs. Everything that’s promised is present: comedy, brutality, and unicorns. The problem is tonal consistency, storytelling power, and visuals—none of which gallop at top speeds or with enduring stamina. Sadly, “Death of a Unicorn” is a throwaway B-movie with an A-list cast, a novelty that loses its shimmer far too soon.
“Death of a Unicorn” opens in theaters on March 25.
